An implantable, artificial kidney

The waiting list for kidney transplants in the United States has grown to more than 100,000 people. The number of available kidneys has remained stagnant for the past decade, and only about one in five now on the list is expected to receive a transplant.

Moreover, the number of individuals diagnosed with kidney failure is growing year over year and has risen 57 percent since 2000.

One of the solutions to this problem is by Shuvo Roy, who is developing an artificial kidney at UCSF that could revolutionize care for millions of people around the world:

“If we can deliver on this, we can provide an alternative therapy and a treatment option that doesn’t exist today for the vast majority of people who are now forced to rely on dialysis.”

Along with Roy at UCSF, Fissell at Vanderbilt University and a national team of scientists and engineers are working to make the implantable artificial kidney available to patients. It’s designed to be connected internally to the patient’s blood supply and bladder, and implanted near the patient’s own kidneys, which are not removed.